“Laying the groundwork” is the way Manhattan Parks and Recreation Director Curt Loupe described a dedication of a special picnic table at Manhattan’s new Blue Earth Plaza on Third Street. Loupe was part of a ceremony organized by the Flint Hills Regional Leadership program. The 2011-2012 class invited high school students from area schools such as Riley County, Wamego, and Rock Creek, for the ceremony. Loupe says the picnic table dedicated is somewhat unusual, as it is handicapped accessibl Branden Mann is just one of the members of the 2011-2012 program, and he says the plan is to bring local…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas prison officials have removed all inmates housed at a county jail after four inmates escaped, including a convicted murder who remains at large. Department of Corrections spokesman Jeremy Barclay said Thursday that the remaining 18 prison inmates who were being held in the Ottawa County Jail because of prison overcrowding have been returned to the state prison in Ellsworth. Barclay says the temporary decision was made after four inmates escaped Wednesday morning from the jail in Minneapolis, a small town about 120 miles west of Topeka. Two of those men, including a convicted killer, were still…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A former Lawrence man who long believed his mother died of natural causes has learned she was killed. Brian Torres made the discovery last week when he stumbled across a Lawrence Journal-World article detailing his mother’s unsolved 1989 killing. He had been searching for information needed for a replacement birth certificate at the time. The Journal-World reported that the Dallas construction worker called the discovery “a bit of a shock.” Torres was 7 years old when his 37-year-old mother’s strangled body was found stuffed into a culvert west of Lawrence. At a foster care home in Lawrence,…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Douglas County Sheriff’s officers are asking the public for help identifying a man who apparently was hit by a train north of Lawrence. The Lawrence Journal World reported that the man’s body was discovered Tuesday morning near Riverfront Park. Sheriff’s spokesman, Sgt. Steve Lewis, said officers’ initial investigation indicates the man was struck by a train. But authorities are working with Union Pacific Railroad officials to try to determine exactly when that happened. Anyone with information is urged to call the sheriff’s office.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A spokesman for the Kansas Department of Corrections says it is discussing supplemental training for staff at county jails that house state inmates. Department spokesman Jeremy Barclay said Thursday that the informal discussions have been prompted by the escape of four inmates from the Ottawa County Jail in Minneapolis. Two were apprehended Wednesday. But two others, including a convicted murderer, remained at large Thursday. The four inmates were sent to the Ottawa County Jail because of overcrowding at the state prison in Ellsworth. Five counties, including Ottawa County, have passed a state inspection and are certified to…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Board of Education has revoked the license of a teacher who was accused of failing to promptly report suspected child abuse. The case is being called unusual and possibly the first of its kind. The Wichita Eagle reported that 51-year-old Donna L. Ford surrendered her teaching license to the state board. Members voted 6-2 on Tuesday to accept the surrender and revoke Ford’s license. She had been a teacher for 17 years, most recently working at Cleaveland Elementary School in Wichita. She said in a letter to the board that said she surrendered her license…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Spirit AeroSystems workers will return to work Monday after a tornado slammed the aircraft parts maker Saturday night in Wichita. The Wichita Eagle reported that employees will be paid for their normal work schedule this week. Workers aren’t required to be at work this week unless contacted by their manager and told otherwise. Spirit AeroSystems President and CEO Jeff Turner said in a statement that the company is committed to doing what needs to be done to have the factory up and running. Turner said the facility has made good progress with the recovery already. The tornado…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Two Kansas agencies have developed a program intended to make it easier for residents and long-term care facilities to safely throw out unwanted medications. The Kansas Medication Disposal Program was created by the state pharmacy board and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Details were being announced Thursday morning at a Statehouse news conference. Several state lawmakers were scheduled to attend along with officials of KDHE and the pharmacy board.